What I've Got: Rouge's Recovery
by TorpeGraveYard1031
Summary: Rouge tries to think of life more possitively. Look at what she has instead of what she doesn't. And maybe, just maybe, if she finally learns from life and becomes kinder, karma just might give her a break. It takes place right after, What Rouge Missed.


Okay, if you wanna understand this fic, you might want to read my One-Shot, "What Rouge Missed". I wasn't planning making a Sequel One-Shot to it, but The Enchanted and Untamed Bat really liked it, and was hoping I would write a sequel. If she didn't want me to, then I wouldn't have. So, if you like this, you have her to thank. I dedicate this to her also. I was going to write another suicide things, then I thought twice. I wrote this off the top of my head, I didn't even know what was going to happen. Here goes nothing. Enjoy.

P.S. This takes place immediately after "What Rouge Missed".

**Disclaimer: I own the Sonic Characters... I'M LYING! NO I DO NOT OWN THEM! Did I trick you? 8D**

What I've Got: Rouge's Recovery

Rouge walked home from the concert before it was even over that night. Her ears were back, her hands were in her coat pocket, and she stared at the ground the entire way to her apartment complex.

She sighed. _Better pick up Zachary._

Rouge walked to apartment 10-E, where she had dropped off her son before leaving for the concert. Before Rouge could even knock, the door flew open! Her neighbor, Mrs. Marendez, was shouting and swearing at Rouge in Spanish. The baby was wailing at the top of his lungs. Mrs. Marendez shoved the baby into Rouge's arms and slammed the door in her face.

"Yeah! Thanks a lot Mrs. M.!" Rouge screamed at the door.

Mrs. Marendez was a forty-five year-old grump. Rouge wondered why she trusts (as Rouge puts it) "That Old Witch" in the first place.

_Oh Yeah... When my family disowned me, she took care of me._

That was true. When Rouge moved here with her new born child and the little to no money she had, Mrs. Marendez helped her out. She baby-sat for Rouge for free until she found a job that paid her a halfway-decent check. Even after Rouge got the job, she didn't charge until five months ago. Mrs. Marendez, at times, was a lovely person. When she wasn't the "Wicked Witch of the West Side of Town", she was like a second mom the Rouge.

Rouge opened up her door, to apartment 10-C, and closed it right behind her. By now, amazingly, Zack had stopped crying. "Okay Zacky, here you go." Rouge put him right on the ground by his toys. He didn't have many, but, when he wasn't crying, he seemed happy with them. Zack grabbed two building blocks and started to hit them together while talking in his baby gibberish.

Flashbacks from that evening kept replaying in Rouge's head.

_**"Oh yeah, you turned him down." **_

_**"Yeah... But it was **__**you**__** who made me! So, I'll tell him the truth and we'll be together in no time- " **_

_**"Yeah right!" "Shadow isn't going to ask you out." **_

Rouge thought of how naive she was to think that all those years of hurting Shadow would disappear just because she said it would.

_**"Don't get your hopes up, because your just a thing of the past." **_

Rouge winced a little. She didn't noticed that Zachary had stopped banging his blocks.

_**"First of all, the name's Amy, Amy Rose. Second of all," **_

Rouge held her breathe.

_**"An Engagement ring?!" **_

Rouge sighed. How could a little pink squirt like that possibly be attractive to _the_ Sk8er Boi?

_**"Still think you have a chance?"**_

Rouge backed up to her door, as if trying to escape the truth. Rouge slid down her door. She sat on her floor for a moment. Then, she abruptly burst into tears! She couldn't stop! She didn't have any control over herself, she just sat there wept.

"I had my one chance at love! I could have had a great life! I messed it up! I messed up everything! It's my fault! It was always _my _fault!"

After a long fifteen minutes, Rouge calmed herself. She wiped her eyes and blinked a few times so her vision cleared. She looked around her living room. It seemed, different? She double checked, she didn't see any furniture out-of-place.

Then, a little child's rubber ball bounced into Rouge's lap. She picked up the ball, held the toy in her hands and examined it. She heard the faint sound of breathing, or was it panting?

Rouge looked up from the toy to see Zack crawling towards her. Or, towards the ball rather.

"Zacky? You're crawling?!" Rouge cried. "My baby! My little boy!"

Rouge picked up her baby and lightly tossed him into the air a few times. Zack giggled. That was the first time he ever laughed. It was also was the first time Rouge ever showed affection towards him.

"Zack, look at us," Rouge held Zack, "here we are, lucky enough to have what we've got, and I'm crying. We need to start looking at the positive. I did mess things up, but I can also fix it. I'll work harder at my job, and I'll be a better mother. I'll save enough money for my to go back to school, and maybe I'll meet someone and you'll have a father figure-" Rouge stopped herself. She bit her tongue. She was not going to cry! "Zack, I'm sorry I did this to you. I brought you into this world, and I wasn't ready. But, from now on, the past is behind us. I'll give you everything I can."

_Life gave me a chance to be great, and I threw it away. I don't think it will happened, but, I want the best for my son, like a real father. But, how many times can a girl fall in lov-._

Rouge was interrupted by a knock upon her door.

_Who could that be? The land lady?_ Rouge only receive visits from her land lady, and Mrs. Marendez. _It has to be the land lady, Mrs. M. doesn't want to put up with me today. I could have sworn I paid all my bills. Am I getting evicted?!_

Rouge gulped and slowly opened the with Zack still in her right arm. It was not the land lady. It wasn't Mrs. Marendez. It wasn't a female at all even! There before her, was a red echidna. He looked shy and had a small envelop in one of his hands.

"Um, hi? Are you Rouge the Bat?" He gulped. The echidna was nervous about something.

Rouge was a little startled that he knew her name.

"Yes, I am Rouge. Who are you, and what do you want?" Rouge didn't want to sound rude, but she didn't want to sound venerable either.

"I, have a, letter, of yours. I-I r-receive by accident. I thought it, it would be better if I just gave it to you in person Ms. Bat."

The echidna held out his hand with the envelop for her to grab, but Rouge just stared at him and asked, "Why are you stuttering?"

The echidna blushed and answered, "I never met a girl who is so pretty." He scratched the back of his head and looked away.

"Why thank you..." Rouge trailed off. Rouge had spent so much time in turmoil, she had forgotten how beautiful she really was.

"Knuckles. I'm, my name is Knuckles. Silly, I know but-" "I think it's a wonderful name."

Rouge smiled at Knuckles. Then Zachary, tired of going unnoticed, started making little baby noises. Rouge held her breathe. _Great, what's he going to think of me now?_

"Uh, who's this? Your little brother?"

Rouge sighed. "No, my son..." Rouge said it no louder than a whisper.

"Is it okay if I hold him?"

Rouge nodded, dumbfounded, and handed her squirming child to Knuckles. As soon as Knuckles took hold of Zack, the baby snuggled up to him, and behaved himself.

"Wow, he, has never warm up to a stranger before. Not that you're strange or anything!" Rouge gave an apologetic smile.

"That's okay. Besides, I like kids. What's his name?"

"His name is Zachary."

Knuckles then thought of an uneasy question to ask, "Where's his father?"

Rouge looked away, "I, don't know. We met at a party, and, I got drunk and-"

"I get it. Sorry for asking. Are you, married?"

Rouge grew a smirk on her face, "_'Married?'_ I can't even get a boyfriend!"

The two of them burst out laughing. When they managed control, Knuckles asked, "Are you free this Saturday? I mean, if you don't mind? We can go to a concert or-" "No concerts!" "Knuckles just stared at her, a little scared. "Um, I meant, why go to a concert? We wouldn't get to know each other. Isn't that what first dates are all about?"

_Oh, I hope he buys it. I didn't mean to snap at him._

"Okay, how about dinner? At seven?"

Rouge let out a sigh of relief. "Dinner sounds lovely. I'll see you then I guess." Rouge took back Zack, and gave Knuckles one last smile. "Bye Knuxy!" She shouted as she hurried into her apartment and closed the door.

Knuckles had a huge smile on his face for a number of reasons.

One: He had just met a pretty girl.

Two: He had a date with said pretty girl.

Three: He still had Rouge's letter, which meant that he would get to come back tomorrow and give it to her.

**-Fin-**

**How was it? Please tell me. Please kind strangers, give me reviews. (If your reviews are flamers, you only make me a better writer, so don't hold back). I might even make One-Shots from all of the character's points-of-views that all somehow have to do with "What Rouge Missed" in some way. You never know. Please, tell me how I did. **

**P.S. I know, Knuckles was REALLY OOC!!!!!**


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